Chares of Mitylene 'Stories of Alexander'
(12.538B-539A) 'But Chares in the tenth book of his 'Stories of Alexander' writes: When he had taken Darius, he celebrated his own marriage and the marriages of his Friends, building ninety-two marriage chambers in the same place. The hall contained a hundred couches; and in it each couch was equipped with a silver marriage robe worth twenty minas; and Alexander's own couch had legs of gold. He invited to feast all the individuals with whom he had ties if friendship and gave them seats facing him and the other bridegrooms; the rest of the armed forces, both military and naval, and the ambassadors and other visitors, he put in the court outside. The hall was arranged sumptuously and magnificently with expensive cloths and linens, and with purple and scarlet rugs interwoven with gold underfoot. To hold up the tent there were columns twenty cubits high, gilded and silvered and studded with precious stones. Round the circuit of the enclosure expensive curtains were draped decorated with figures and woven with gold, the curtain rods being gilded and silvered. The enclosed court was four stades in circumference. The banquets were announced by the sounding of a trumpet, both on this occasion for the weddings and whenever Alexander was solemnizing any agreement, so that the whole body of troops was aware of it. The marriages continued to be celebrated for five days,and large numbers of men, both Greek and barbarian, contributed their services, including notably the conjurors from India and also Scymnus of Tarentum, Philistides of Syracuse, and Heraclitus of Mytilene; following whom the rhapsode Alexis of Tarentum gave a recital. Non -singing performers on the cithara who appeared were Cratinus of Methymna, Aristonymus of Athens, and Athenodorus of Teos; and Heraclitus of Tarentum and Aristocrates of Thebes sang with the cithara. Dionysius of Heraclea and Hyberbolus of Cyzicus appeared as singers with the flute. Flute players also performed, who played the Pythicon first and then played for the choruses - Timotheus, Phrynichus, Caphisias, Diophantus and also Euius the Chalcicidian. From that time on the Flatterers of Dioysus, as they were previously called, came to be known as the Flatterers of Alexander, because of their lavish gifts, which gave Alexander great pleasure. Dramatic performances were given by the tragic actors Thessalus, Athenodorus and Aristocritus, and the comic actors Lycon, Pormion and Ariston. The harpist Phrasimelus also appeared. And the crowns (says Chares) sent by the ambassadors and others were worth over 15,000 Talents.'
(Athenaios 12. 514E-F )'Chares of Mitylene in book V of his 'Stories of Alexander' says: The Persian kings went sofar in luxurious habits that above the head of the king's bed there was a five-couch chamber in which five thousand talents of gold was always kept and this was called the king's pillow; and at the foot of the bed there was another chamber, with three couches, where there was three thousand talents of silver, called the king's footstool. Also in the bedchamber there was a golden vine, set with precious stones, above his bed (Amyntas in his 'Stages' says that this vine had bunches of grapes fashioned out of the most valuable stones), and that not far from this was set up a golden mixing bowl, the work of Theodorus of Samos.'
(Athenaios 3. 93C-D0 'The pearl is hunted far along the Indian seaboard, as well as in Armenia, Persis, Susiana and Babylonia, and is like an oyster. The shell is large and elongated, containing a large white fleshy portion, with a very agreeable odour. From them they extract the white bones and call them margaritae, and make necklaces and bracelets and anklets from them; the Persians and Medes and all Asiatic peoples value these more than articles made from gold.'